The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-05-12
THE GREAT BUDDHA.
A GIGANTIC MASS OF GOLD THAT
rs WORSHIPED IN JAPAN.

A Head and Shoulders Only, Ninety-fve
Feet High-Laughter Right Under the
Gods Nose-Ringing the Great Bell of
The temple Of Dai-Doutsou (the great
Buddha) seems temple built for fun-an
enormous joke to amuse the faithful.
This "Great Buddha" has only head
and shoulders, at least ninety-five feet
high; he seems to be rising from the
depths of the earth, with his neck stretch
ing up like some one making painful
effort to struggle ont of the ground. He
alone fills all his temple, and his curling
hair touches its roof.
Ono reaches him, just as all the gods
are reached, by series Of stairways, porti-
Goes and courts. From the gate of the
sanctuary one can not very well explain
to oneself at the first glance what Is that
hillock of gold, that shapeless mass in
front the shoulders of Buddha). 1t is
only afterward, when you look up very
high, that you see far above you the colos'
sal gilded face, the huge fixed eyes gazing
down upon you from the height OF ninety
feet with idiotic placidity.
find myself making this pilgrimage at
the same time as good natured Nippon
family of country people, who have co4e
to the holy city for the first time; and the
good folks, especially the ladies, cannot
get over the idea of seeing so big O god;
and there are cries Of "Ah!'' and
'Ohn'- exclamations of surprise-little
screams and little laughs. Now, really this
Buddha is just too funny, with his stork-
like neck and his stupid air-funny as any
of those snow men which urchins make at
the corners Of the streets-funny as some
enormous caricature made to order by
little children. And there the little coun-
: try family are all laughing right under
the gods nose-laughing till the tears roll
down their cheeks, and the other visitors,
and even the guardian bronzes themselves,
also laugh to see them laugh. Then they
all look at me to see how feel about IT.,
and have to laugh, too-can't possibly
help 1t. What country this Japan,
where everything is oddity and contrastl
Who could ever imagine that this frivolous
little temple, with its reverences and its
eternal laugh, could have lived through
centuries locked up in such ferocious mys-
terry. and have given birth to those thou
sands Of other temples, with their monsters
and their hobgoblins'
MAKING TIE ROUND.
BY the payment of two cents ono is
privileged to make the round Of the great
Buddha-one ascends by series Of slop-
ing plank galleries, placed at very steep
angle, on which you can pass behind the
head Of the colossus, a little above the
o1x al
accompanied by the voyaging family; the
sloping way is slippery, old, broken
through here and there, worm eaten-the
ladies very nearly fall. I put out my hand
to help them, and then we become good
friends right away. Behind the enormous
head, in q dark nook, an old bronze Is
squatting down-for one cent he shows Us
suit of armor and war mask which
once belonged to the great Taiko-Sama-
and then he throws open for our benefit
sundry very ancient idol closets, in which
animal headed divinities are conserved
with various relics Of weird aspect. There
we do not laugh any more.
In the court Of this temple 1s the most
monstrous of all the bells of Kioto-at
least seven or perhaps eight yards around.
It is rung by means of an enormous beam
tipped with iron-a sort Of batterins, ram
suspended horizontally with ropes.
For two cents extra one has the right to
experiment with it. I harness myself to
the pulling straps, q circle is formed
around me, and children run up. Even
two or three young girls come behind me
to take hold, bothering me great deal,
pulling the wrong way half the time,
bursting into fits of laughter. The united
strength of the three is almost equal to
the power Of three good kittens.
Meanwhile the battering ram begins to
yield; gradually it begins to swing
Boomi boomi A sound awful, cavernous,
and prolonged into mighty orchestral
vibrations which must be heard through
the whole Of the sacred city.
Then the audience is so ohappy!-delrio
with joy-can't get enough of it; every one
laughs, every one is in ecstasy.-NeW
Orleans Tines-D s-Democrat's Translation
from the French.